George W. Bush pulled himself together sufficiently in St. Louis on Friday night to avoid losing the presidency to John Kerry on debater's points and got down to his foremost task. The Republican president concentrated on imprinting the scarlet letter ''L'' (for liberal) on his Democratic challenger's chest. Whether or not he succeeds may determine who is elected.
It seems like a lifetime since July 1991 when Sen. Kerry declared: ''I'm a liberal, and proud of it.'' Thirteen years later, the L-word is forbidden language for Kerry. He is attempting what only Bill Clinton among recent Democratic candidates has accomplished: covering left-of-center policies with a facade of moderation. Kerry, less skilled than Clinton as a political dancer, is burdened with a 30-year record of nearly unbroken liberal votes.
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